New Lab Launches in the Brooklyn Navy Yard

New Lab, an independent, first-of-its-kind space designed to support entrepreneurs working in advanced technologies—including robotics, AI, and connected devices—is pleased to announce its official launch, with roughly 230 individual people, representing over 40 growth-stage companies, working in its space and forming its inaugural community of members. This number will grow to 300 by the end of October.

New Lab, located in historic Brooklyn Navy Yard Building 128, encompasses 84,000 square feet and is a breakthrough ecosystem of shared resources where entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, and academics can take their ideas from concept to prototype to production quickly, all under one roof. The idea for New Lab came in response to a lack of central resources for people building advanced hardware products and companies in New York City. Once full, New Lab’s unparalleled interdisciplinary space will serve as the professional base for 400 innovative people, representing over 50 independent companies. Membership is determined through an application process; interested parties are invited to apply on New Lab’s website: www.newlab.com/membership.

New Lab marked its launch with a festive grand opening party on Saturday, September 24th, that welcomed over 2,000 people into the space for thought-provoking presentations from New Lab members, open studio visits, a variety of offerings from New York City food trucks, an interactive public art experience from Shared Studios, and beer provided by New Lab’s soon-to-be-neighbor Brooklyn Brewery. Select images from the event are available for your use and can be found at this dropbox link; a selection is previewed at the bottom of this e-mail. Press images of New Lab are available here.

Terreform One – A non-profit architecture group that promotes smart design in cities and works to advance the larger framework of socio-ecological design–from apocalypse survival cricket farms to future cities.

RockPaperRobot – An engineering and design firm that sits at the intersection of art and technology; specializes in the innovation and fabrication of kinetic furniture, lighting, wearables, and future systems.

Bolt – A venture capital firm designed for hardware, and specializes in early stage financing, investing up to $500K in pre-seed, pre-product companies.

Arpita Dey – Dey is solar entrepreneur focused on improving access to solar energy for consumers and small-scale providers through well designed technology and education.

Beyer BigRep GmbH – Creates large-scale 3D printers, with the goal of transforming the 3D printing and manufacturing business. With its 1 cubic meter volume, the BigRep ONE opens the gateway to a new dimension of 3D printing and 3D manufacturing.

Ultimaker – Creates premium 3D printers that are highly reliable and trusted by entrepreneurs all over the world.

Chefs Club X – A prototyping test kitchen and platform, from the New York restaurant Chefs Club, for chefs to produce a signature dish in a fast-casual setting. Chefs Club X serves as a dedicated tasting room and café for New Lab’s residents.

“I am incredibly inspired by this particular community of thought-leaders and entrepreneurs that is working on solving tough problems” David Belt, New Lab’s CEO, who co-founded the space with his friend and collaborator Scott Cohen, said. “We wanted to build New Lab for them.”

The launch of New Lab restores landmark Building 128—the former epicenter of America’s shipbuilding industry, first built in 1902—to its original purpose as a hub of state-of-the-art manufacturing. Belt’s design and development company, Macro Sea, oversaw and executed the design vision for the space in-house. Working alongside its sister management company, DBI, with Marvel Architects as the architect of record, Macro Sea—led by Belt, Design Director Nicko Elliott, and their small team—fostered the project from the idea’s inception down to prototyping and building custom furniture for the space.

New Lab has been made possible with significant support spanning the public and private sectors. The Brooklyn Navy Yard, Empire State Development, New York City Regional Economic Development Council, City of New York, New York City Council, New York City Economic Development Corporation, Brooklyn Borough President, New York City Regional Center, and technology firms have committed to making New Lab a platform for growing innovative companies in New York City. The Urban Tech Hub at New Lab, a resident program for companies developing technological solutions to critical urban challenges, which will launch this fall, is made possible through a partnership with New York City’s Economic Development Corporation. Private support for New Lab has been provided by the New York City Regional Center, the Fund for the City of New York, and the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group.

To learn more about New Lab and its member companies, please visit www.newlab.com or contact Molly Erman, New Lab’s Director of Communications, at [email protected].